Creative Inertia crowned Exeter’s intermediate champion

Creative Inertia was crowned Exeter Racecourse’s intermediate hunter chase series final after a rousing display in which he took up the lead three fences from home and galloped on to record an eight lengths success in the hands of Rex Dingle.

Monica Tory’s eight-year-old had qualified for the final at Bishops Court in November where he finished second of the five runners on good to soft going.

Tuesday’s drying ground played to his strength and he put up a foot perfect display to land the prestigious race which was the culmination of seven qualifiers in the Devon and Cornwall Area.
The gelding was Crewkerne-based Ben Clarke’s last ever ride as an amateur before he retired from race riding to concentrate on training three years ago. “He’s been placed five times this year, and every time we wanted to run him on better ground, it started raining again! We thought he’d handle today’s drying ground and he did it really well under a good ride from Rex who’s a young amateur going places,” he said.

In second place was Nicky Martin’s The Lizard King who also qualified at Ottery St Mary in November. David Rogers, who readies his horses near Newton Ferrers in South Deon, saddled the third placed horse, Brandy and Red who was ridden by Josh Newman. Odds on favourite Mistress Massini was fourth and bringing up the rear was the Gordon Chambers-trained Golander.

Racecourse ambassador Bryony Frost rode two winners and narrowly missed out on a third with Triple Chief, trained at Buckfastleigh by her father Jimmy, just losing out by two and a half lengths after running a fine race in defeat in the Heavitree Brewery Handicap Chase. The 23-year-old was successful on Max Forte, trained by Chris Down at Cullompton, and Paul Nicholls’ racecourse debutante Rhythm Is A Dancer, the 2-1 favourite in the concluding bumper. Frost made all on the good-looking five-year-old to win by eight lengths.

Harry Fry’s Serosevsky relished the quicker ground and galloped to an easy win in the Wonford Inn Exeter National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle in the hands of Niall Madden. The five-year-old took it up after the last to deny odds on favourite Rockpoint a win by one and three quarters of a length. “She loves these conditions and will be on the go all the way through util the autumn,” said Fry.

Rockpoint’s trainer Colin Tizzard later saddled Kings Lad to win the Heavitree Brewery Handicap Chase. The 11-year-old under Tom Scudamore too it up near the finish and won by two and a half lengths. The favourite, Lip Service was just ran out of it and finished third.

The Alan King-trained Tillythetank took the opening Horse and Groom Heavitree Mares’ Maiden Hurdle under Wayne Hutchinson, to deny Donald McCain’s long odds on favourite Secret Escape a win having taken up the lead after the second last.